Planting Flowers

If the weather is nice, and even sometimes when it is not, we go to the park after kindergarten. Yesterday I took a deep breath, packed my Little Garden on a Hill project and took it along. I sat down on a bench, half in the sun, half in the shadow of an old tree, and while the children were playing and the other parents watching me from a distance, I began planting French knot flowers and drizzle stitch leaves. It felt a bit strange at first, but soon I forgot about everyone else being there, and only kept an ear on my daughter's voice.

After a few stitches, children started to come by and ask me what I was doing. I answered all their questions and some of them sat with me for a couple of minutes. Then more of them came and stayed for longer, about a dozen boys and girls, aged from 3 to 9, with their little inquiring minds, wanting to know how and what I was working on, saying that my embroidery was beautiful :) 

Then a little boy said "Can you teach me how to embroider?" I wanted to reply, but his mother interrupted "Why would you want to learn THAT? You are a boy! Only girls can embroider, and what is the point even for them doing THAT?!", she said and stepped away.

But the children stayed. And watched each and every move and stitch I made, fascinated by the way a needle and some thread wrapped around it created a leaf, and then another one, a flower and then another one. They never asked why on earth I was embroidering, or what it was good for, or was it worth the effort... 

Taking my garden along to the park was definitely worth it. For more than just my soul, I hope...